(For those not familiar with the series, it’s a ‘coming of age in the world of magic’ story, like Harry Potter, except with more sexy bits, an ocelot, a cross-dressing vampire, and Southern accents.

The main character, Tammy Jo Trask, is a young woman who’s descended from a long line of witches, but whom the family magic seems to have skipped. In the first Southern Witch book, Would-Be Witch, Tammy gets her powers, but they don’t work properly. Mayhem ensues from there as she fights monsters and makes new friends, lovers, and enemies.

One afternoon some friends and I were discussing what we love most about our favorite books, and it came out that readers, like ice cream, come in lots of flavors. When asked to complete the sentence ‘The best thing a great book can do is…,’ the responses included things likesurprise me, make me feel good, make me cry, and terrify me. For me, the best thing a great book can do is introduce me to characters I can’t forget, which is probably why as an author I must constantly battle upstart characters who want to wrestle the story away from the main character.

This proclivity of minor characters to steal the spotlight was very evident recently when, for a guest blogpost, I interviewed two characters from my Southern Witch series. Here’s a tiny bit of Tammy Jo and Rollie (transvestite vampire/fashion plate) discussing life and other disasters in Tammy’s hometown of Duvall, Texas.

* * *

Rollie: My visits to Duvall are never dull. At first, I was skeptical. No Versace boutique? No spa with hot stone massages? And even if you bring your own Jimmy Choos, where would you wear them? To the local steakhouse where some of the townsfolk used to be on a first name basis with the meat on the dinner menu? Yes, I did have my doubts. But there’s never a dull moment, like when our little redhead here was possessed by the spirit of a 1920s flapper—

Tammy: That was terrible.

Rollie: Your eye makeup never looked better.

Tammy: I thought I loved cigarettes! I could barely finish my shower without lighting up.

Rollie: Sure, but your eye makeup—

Tammy: Plus, I turned all vixen-y and seduced Bryn—you know, I don’t actually remember that night very well.

Rollie: Go ahead, honey. Blame those sexcapades on misfiring magic. If I had malfunctioning magic, that would be my first line of defense against everything. I’m sorry, your honor, that Prada bag just flew right out the door with me. Poof.

Tammy (raising her brows): Rollie, you don’t really have a problem with shoplifting, do you?

Rollie: Define problem.

Tammy: Rollie!

Rollie: Oh, relax. I always pay eventually. I just like seeing what I can get away with. (Smiling slyly) I keep a pocket full of pills in case I get caught. I can do a ‘Valley of the Dolls’ routine that would put Winona Ryder to shame.

Tammy: What valley? What dolls?

Rollie (clucking his tongue): I keep forgetting that you’re a child.

Tammy: How am I a child? I’m twenty-three years old, I’ve been married and divorced, and I work for a living, supporting myself.

Rollie: And yet! Seriously, supporting yourself seems so unnecessary when you can bring a beautiful zillionaire to his knees. Why aren’t you a trophy witch living in Bryn Lyons’s mansion? We need to watch a Dynasty marathon, so Alexis Carrington and I can teach you the facts of life.

Tammy: I’ll never be a trophy anything.

Rollie: Not even for a wizard with peepers that blue? You can barely get sapphires that color, let alone eyes. I’d go for it. Live with Bryn Lyons as his anything…? Sign. Me. Up.

Tammy (rolling eyes)

Rollie: I’m just saying…. one word, and that word is yum.

Tammy: And what about Johnny? Your boyfriend. My hairdresser and good friend. You wouldn’t leave him for Bryn.

Rollie (smiling fondly): Of course not. I’d take him with me.

Tammy (laughing): You’re crazy.

Rollie: There’s plenty of room for both of us in that mansion. You’ve been there. You’ve seen all those Jacuzzi tubs. Really, honey, why aren’t you with Bryn Lyons? I could love him for his walk-in closets alone.

* * *

I’ve tried to explain to Rollie that he is only a Southern Witch series supporting character, but he tells me that in any production of which he deigns to be a part, he always plays the lead. He is currently lobbying for a series of his own, while also working on a non-fiction beauty & style book tentatively titled, Imelda Marcos had the Right Idea about Shoes: A Vampire’s Guide to Fabulous.

Thanks so much for visiting this post and for being a reader of paranormal books!

Kimberly Frost

http://frostfiction.com

Would-Be Witch
Southern Witch Book 1

Kimberly Frost

Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Berkley (Penguin)

Date of Publication: Re-release September 3, 2013

ISBN-10: 0425267555

ISBN-13: 978-0425267554

Number of pages: 320

Amazon BN IndieBound

Back Cover Blurb:

In the small town of Duvall, Texas, the only thing that causes more trouble than gossip is magic.

The family magic seems to have skipped over Tammy Jo Trask. All she gets in the way of the supernatural are a few untimely visits from the long-dead, smart-mouthed family ghost Edie. But when her locket—an heirloom that happens to hold Edie’s soul—is stolen in the midst of a town-wide crime spree, it’s time for Tammy to find her inner witch.

After a few bad experiences with her magic, Tammy turns to the only one who can help: the very rich and highly magical Bryn Lyons. He might have all the answers, but the locket isn’t the only thing passed down in Tammy’s family. She also inherited a warning…to stay away from anyone named Lyons…

About the Southern Witch Series:

In this “coming of age in the world of magic” story, urban fantasy meets humorous mystery in small-town Texas. Plucky pastry chef Tammy Jo Trask comes into her spell-casting powers unexpectedly, and malfunctioning magic makes her a reluctant heroine. As her adventures continue, she learns the secrets of her supernatural heritage and embraces her butt-kicking destiny. Gorgeous love interests and an ocelot sidekick add to the charm of this bestselling book series.

Kimberly Frost is the national bestselling author of the humorous Southern Witch series, which currently includes Would-Be Witch, Barely Bewitched, and Halfway Hexed. After her first release, Kimberly won the 2010 PEARL Award for best new paranormal author. Her second series featured darker paranormal romantic suspense stories.

These "Etherlin" books launched in November 2011 with the novella, “First Light". It appeared in the multi-author Christmas anthology, Tied With a Bow, reaching the extended New York Times Bestseller List. The subsequent Etherlin novels included All That Bleeds, a featured Barnes & Noble “Must Read Romance”, and All That Falls, a Colorado Romance Writers’ Award of Excellence finalist.

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